Amada Battista

My passion is rooted in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate the complexities of life and work toward achieving their personal and relational goals. Each person has the capacity for growth, healing, and transformation, and my role as a therapist is to provide the guidance, tools, and support needed to facilitate that process. I value a collaborative approach, working closely with my clients to ensure the goals we set together for therapy are meaningful, realistic, and achievable. Every client brings unique experiences, strengths, and challenges, and by fostering a safe and empathetic environment, I aim to empower them to take charge of their journey toward wellness. Whether the focus is improving communication, deepening relationships, overcoming past trauma, or managing stress and anxiety, I work alongside my clients as a partner in their healing journey, always respecting their pace and preferences. I deeply believe that therapy is a shared process, and together, we can work toward lasting change and personal fulfillment. One of the most effective therapeutic tools I have found in my practice is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). As a certified EMDR therapist, I have been able to help clients struggling with a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, attachment problems, shame, trauma, and addiction. This evidence-based therapy helps clients process and resolve deeply ingrained emotional pain and traumatic memories in a way that fosters healing at a core level. Many clients, particularly those dealing with complex trauma, have found relief from their symptoms through EMDR when other forms of therapy may have only addressed surface-level concerns. What makes EMDR particularly effective is its ability to target and reprocess distressing memories that continue to influence present-day emotions and behaviors. Clients who have suffered from long-standing feelings of guilt, fear, or inadequacy due to unresolved trauma often experience profound shifts after engaging in EMDR therapy. For those dealing with depression and anxiety, EMDR can help uncover the underlying causes of their emotional suffering, allowing them to address and heal from past experiences that have shaped their current mindset. In cases of attachment issues or shame, EMDR helps clients reconnect with their authentic selves and rebuild healthier, more secure relationships. I have seen firsthand how EMDR can transform clients' feelings and their approach to life, equipping them with the emotional resilience and the freedom to pursue their goals with newfound confidence and clarity. I am certified in Anger Management and provide structured, skills-based treatment informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and trauma-informed principles. Services include assessment of anger triggers, cognitive distortions, emotional regulation capacity, and behavioral responses, as well as intervention using cognitive restructuring, distress tolerance, impulse control, arousal reduction, and communication skills training. Treatment is individualized and may be integrated with care for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, or relationship difficulties. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), the evidence-based, first-line treatment for chronic sleep difficulties. My work includes comprehensive sleep assessment, use of sleep diaries, and implementation of core CBT-I strategies such as stimulus control, sleep restriction or compression, cognitive restructuring, and arousal-reduction techniques. Treatment is individualized and integrated with care for co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, with an emphasis on collaboration and sustainable improvement in sleep. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (CBT-N) and provide evidence-based treatment for chronic and trauma-related nightmares. Services include comprehensive assessment of sleep and nightmare patterns, use of sleep logs and validated measures, and structured implementation of CBT-N interventions, including imagery rehearsal, cognitive restructuring of maladaptive beliefs related to sleep and safety, emotional regulation strategies, and arousal-reduction techniques. Interventions are tailored to individual needs and integrated with treatment for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and trauma. I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an MFT Specialization from The Chicago School.